RIM chief Heins fires back at NY Times’ BlackBerry ‘shame’ article

RIM BlackBerry 'shame': Thorsten Heins fires back at New York Times

Research In Motion Ltd.’s chief executive Thorsten Heins has fired back at a New York Times article on the apparent social embarrassment of being seen using a BlackBerry smartphone.

In the Oct. 15 article entitled “The BlackBerry as Black Sheep”, a Los Angeles sales representative Rachel Crosby tells her story about how she’s stopped typing on her QWERTY BlackBerry keyboard at cocktail parties and even hides the device under her iPad during meetings. “I want to take a bat to it,” Ms. Crosby told the Times.

The article goes on to explain how the Waterloo, Ont.-based company’s BlackBerry phone was “once proudly carried by the high-powered and the elite, but those who still hold one today say the device has become a magnet for mockery and derision from those with iPhones and the latest Android phones.”

With so much talk about its devices’ so-called public humiliation, Mr. Heins has had no choice but to fight back in the Times letters section. The RIM boss’s response to the article was published in the newspaper Thursday:

With more than 80 million customers globally, BlackBerry is growing and remains one of the world’s most popular smartphones. I’ve just come from visiting carriers and partners in all parts of the world, and they have told me that there are millions of BlackBerry fans out there who not only find great value in their device, but also pride in being a BlackBerry owner.

While any report of dissatisfaction among our users is a cause for concern that I take very seriously, the comments supporting BlackBerry both online and in calls we’ve received from our customers in response to your article are encouraging to me. Read the full text here

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.